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Chili and Paprika for Kimchi and Korean Food
Kimchi is the single largest use of Chinese crushed chili. The colour has to be deep, the heat has to be controlled, and the flake has to stay visible in the paste rather than dissolving into it.
What Goes Wrong in This Industry
Flake size decides the look of the paste
Crushed chili at 40 to 60 mesh and crushed chili with seeds at 3 to 5 mm give two very different finished appearances from the same pod.
Seed content changes both colour and cost
Crushed chili with seeds is supplied at 25, 30 or 40 percent seed, or to your own figure. Seedless grades are available on the paprika side.
Heat has to be dialled, not guessed
Crushed chili is quoted across 100 to 80,000 SHU, so a mild domestic recipe and a hot export recipe can both be served from one supplier.
Garnish is part of the product
Red chili thread at 0.4 mm and 0.8 mm is used directly as a kimchi garnish and carries the same 100 to 220 ASTA colour band as the ground grades.
Four Products That Fit This Application
From Enquiry to Repeat Order
Tell us what the finished paste has to look like
Flake size and seed percentage decide the appearance more than the ASTA figure does. A photograph of the paste you are matching is genuinely useful here.
Cut size and seed content fixed before milling
40 to 60 mesh flake or a 3 to 5 mm coarse crush, with seed at 25, 30 or 40 percent or your own figure. Both are set before the lot runs, not corrected afterwards.
Heat placed inside the 100 to 80,000 SHU window
Domestic and export recipes usually sit at different points. Say which one this lot is for.
Colour held for the season
The approved point in the 100 to 220 ASTA band becomes the standard for repeat lots.
What Sits Behind the Quotation
Guides Buyers in This Industry Use
Whole Pods Crushed Threads or Powder Choosing a Chili Format
The same Beijing Red pod ships in five formats. Which one is right depends on whether you mill in house and whether the chili should be seen.
Read the guide →Seed Content in Crushed Chili 25 30 or 40 Percent and Seedless
Seed percentage changes the colour, the texture and the cost of a crushed chili or crushed paprika. How to decide which one you need.
Read the guide →Questions From Kimchi and Korean Food Buyers
Which grade is standard for kimchi paste?
Crushed chili at 40 to 60 mesh. The flake stays visible in the paste rather than dissolving into a uniform tint.
How much seed should be in the cut?
It is a regional preference. We cut at 25, 30 or 40 percent, or to your own figure. More seed means a lighter, more speckled paste at the same flesh colour.
Is Beijing Red the right pod for Korean-style production?
It is the one most of our kimchi volume starts from. At 2,000 to 4,500 SHU it can be used generously, which is what a paste needs.
Do you supply the thread used as a kimchi garnish?
Yes, at 0.4 mm and 0.8 mm, cut from the same Beijing Red pods and quoted against the same 100 to 220 ASTA band.
Can you hold the same colour across a year of shipments?
Within the quoted band, yes, provided we agree the target point up front rather than matching each shipment to the last sample you liked.
Talk to Us About Kimchi and Korean Food
Send the specification you are buying against and we will quote the grade that fits, not the grade we happen to have.